Life After War
by Agent Gibbs
Summary: The War is over. Trigger just wants to live a normal life, and he wants Avril to be a part of it. More T&A pairing. 'M' rating is currently for language only. It may expand as the story progresses.
1. De-Brief

**_Hey, guys! I love the support for my last two AC7 stories, _Nobody Likes You When You're 23_ and _If I Die Tomorrow._ This one ties right into those. If you're starting here, you're probably gonna be lost. That being said, here we go._**

November_ 17th, 2019. 0900 hours._

_Oured__, Osea. The __Hexagon._

It was a bright, crisp autumn morning in Oured. Major Jason Briggs, Tac Name "Trigger," was making his way through the halls of Osea's Military High Command, no longer masking his annoyance at the proceedings he was attending. Not to mention, his Class "A" uniform made him feel like he was suffocating.

"_Two weeks,_" he thought bitterly. "_Two **fucking** weeks. I just want to see her again._"

He arrived at the hearing room and just walked in, not bothering to knock.

"Major Briggs. So happy you could join us."

"Colonel Grimm, can we just get this over with?" Briggs replied, sitting in the chair that he believed his ass to be permanently etched into.

Grimm remained stoic as he observed Briggs. "We'll be wrapping up soon."

Briggs's expression darkened. "No disrespect intended, _sir_, but you've been feeding me that same bull for the last five days. What more could you possibly need?"

"We just need to clear up some discrepancies," Grimm replied.

"About what?"

"Your dogfight with Mister X-"

"Oh, dear Jesus Titty-Fucking Christ!" Briggs snapped and stood up.

"Major, please calm d-"

"No! We've been through this three times in the last two _fucking_ weeks! Strider Squadron and the LRSSG raided Shilage Castle because relief from _Osea_ wasn't coming. We were hung out to dry by you assholes at High Command and we did what we had to do to survive. Sol Squadron tried to intercept, and we shot down three of five. Mihaly showed up in an X-02S equipped with a rail gun. He and I proceeded to duel, and after five minutes, I managed to shoot him down. He bailed out but he's paralyzed, no longer able to fly. With him no longer a threat, we were able to end this stupid war."

A silence fell over the other officers on the review board. Grimm eyed the young pilot before closing the folder in front of him. "I believe we're done here, Major. You're free to go."

"Hallelujah." Briggs turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door behind him and knocking a picture of Harling off the wall.

...-_-...

_International Space Elevator. Same day. 1700 local time._

Avril Mead sighed, turning her eyes toward the sky, scanning for any sign of the F-35 that had taken off two weeks earlier.

"_Goddamn it,_" she thought. "_Where are you, Jason__? I want to see you. Hurry up and get back here... Dumbass._"

She turned her attention back to the other refugees that had set up camp at the Space Elevator.

_The next morning, 0630 local time__._

Briggs managed to hitch a ride on a supply helicopter to the Space Elevator. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He hadn't seen Avril in two weeks, but it felt like forever. He snapped out of his thoughts as the CH-47 began its descent. He ditched the uniform for civilian clothes for the first time in almost a year. God, was it liberating.

"Major, have you been to the encampment yet?" One of the relief workers was trying to make conversation, but Briggs was only half paying attention.

"What?"

"I asked if you've been to the encampment yet."

"I have, actually. My girlfriend helped set it up."

"Oh."

Briggs hadn't really looked at the person talking to him, but at the dejected tone, he decided to turn his head. She was blonde. Cute, but not Briggs's type by any means. His thoughts drifted back to Avril as the chopper landed. Once the cargo door opened, Briggs bolted off the copter, looking for Avril left and right, questioning refugees all over the island.

"You seen Avril? You know where Avril is? Where can I find Avril?" Nobody answered him. He was about to lose it when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hey, dumbass. It's about time you showed up."

**_And that's Chapter 1. Be sure to bomb those "favorite" and "follow" buttons and drop a review! (Also, the F-35 has VTOL, or Vertical Take-Off Landing, capabilities. One could very easily land at the Space Elevator)_**


	2. Reunited

"_Hey, dumbass. It's about time you showed up._"

Briggs stopped in his tracks and turned around, smiling. He took off toward Avril at a run as she did the same thing at the same time. When they met in an embrace, they kissed like their lives depended on it. Briggs allowed his hand to "accidentally" (on purpose) slip and grab Avril's ass in front of everybody. She tried to slap his hand off her ass, with no luck. He had an iron grip on it. So, reluctantly, she broke the kiss.

"Can you let go of my ass?"

Briggs turned red in the face, his expression making him look like he got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Slowly, he released his grip, giving Avril a quick smack on the ass as his hand moved away.

"We can pick this back up later, right?" Briggs whispered, taking Avril's hand and walking away from the çommotion.

"Totally," Avril replied. "So how did it go back in Oured? Those vultures get what they needed?"

Briggs nodded. "That and more. Two fucking weeks they dragged it out. We wrapped up two days ago after I lost my shit during some questioning about the Shilage Castle raid. Anyway, how have things been here?"

"Kind of rough for awhile. The Princess is rallying the whole world to help these people, which is great, honestly. But I really missed you."

"I missed you too."

They stopped walking and kissed again. They both let their hands wander as the kisses became more frantic and their breathing became erratic... And then Briggs broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" Avril asked.

"I don't want to do this here," Briggs replied.

Avril arched an eyebrow. "Do what?"

Briggs sighed. "I don't want to do that thing that we do so well together. At least, not in public."

"The first time we did it was in public," Avril laughed.

"That Flight Deck was empty."

"Yeah, until Count and Huxian showed up."

"Well, by then, all we were doing was getting high. Nothing for him to get his shorts in a twist over."

Avril let herself laugh for a minute before steering away from Count.

"So... Just exactly how are you planning on us having any alone time here?"

"Not here." Briggs looked around. "That monorail still run?"

Avril nodded. "Yup. Brings supplies out here twice a day, and the occasional politicians."

"What times?"

"Noon and six normally. Every two hours if any politicians are coming. Why? What are you up to?"

Briggs looked slightly sheepish. "I might already have something set up in Selatapura. That is, if you'll accompany me."

"Oh?" Avril's attention was piqued. "How do I know you're not gonna just kidnap me?"

"Really?" Briggs smiled. "I left my burlap sack in Oured, FYI. And if I wanted to kidnap you, I wouldn't do it in broad daylight."

Avril nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Even a dumbass of your caliber would know better than to do that. So how long were you planning to keep me to yourself?"

Briggs shrugged. "I don't know, twenty-four hours. Maybe more."

"I like 'more'."

"Yeah, so do I." Briggs pulled Avril close and kissed her again, just a quick, chaste kiss, a teaser of what was to come later.

"So if we're leaving at noon, I guess I should show you around... If you want."

"That'd be nice."

Avril took Briggs's hand and led him around the camp, introducing him to various relief workers, including the Princess, who Briggs had to awkwardly admit to meeting on the CH-47 ride to the Space Elevator. Avril laughed watching Briggs stammer his way through the story and a formal introduction to the Princess.

By the time the monorail came around at noon, Avril and Briggs were laughing and carrying on, but still, they were ready to go.

"You sure about leaving?" Briggs asked, for what seemed like the millionth time.

"They'll be fine," Avril reassured him. "Cossette is more than capable, and so are the rest of the relief workers."

"Great." Briggs took a phone out of his pocket and pulled Avril close to him, saying only, "Smile!"

The Cheshire Cat-like grin on his face made Avril laugh as she swiped the phone from him.

"Ugh," she said. "This isn't a good picture."

Briggs tilted his head to one side and nodded. "You're right. The one you sent me when I landed in Oured... Now _that_ was a great picture."

Avril turned red. "You still have that picture?"

"Of course. Nobody else has seen it, so..."

"Good. But you _kept_ it?"

"Of course! It got me through some hard nights at The Hexagon's BOQ."

"You're impossible."

"I know."

The monorail pulled into the stop at the Space Elevator, and more supplies and relief workers poured out, along with some members of the press and an Osean Senator that Briggs couldn't remember the name of... Was it Barnett? Or Bennett? It was something with a "B" in it. Oh, well. He would remember eventually.

But for now... He let his eyes travel down Avril's frame, resting his gaze on her ass once again.

"Eyes up, Trigger!"

Laughing, Briggs took Avril's hand and they boarded the train, destination: Selatapura.

**_*Pokes head in looks around* Hello? Anyone still here? Ah! There you are! I'm putting this chapter up just to get it posted since it's taken me way too long already. I promise, the next chapter will be longer and it will be up sooner._**


	3. A Great Influence

**_*SMUT WARNING* Smut ahead, folks. Don't say I didn't warn you._**

The monorail pulled into the harbor at Selatapura after almost half an hour. Briggs and Avril disembarked, and Briggs looked back at the train, saying, "Give me a jet anytime."

"For sure," Avril agreed. "So what exactly do you have up your sleeve for us?"

"Well, I'm making it up as I go right now. At least until tonight."

"What's going on tonight?"

"The Princess is hosting some event tonight, and I think I'm allowed to bring a plus one."

"So are you taking Count?"

Briggs' reply was lost and he dissolved into laughter. After regaining his composure, he said, "I don't ever want to picture Count in a dress again, thanks. I _was_ thinking about you, actually."

Avril studied Briggs' face, hoping he was joking. "Really? Formal events aren't exactly my thing."

"They're not mine either," Briggs confided. "I'm only going because I'm _still_ on _Active Duty_ and High Command needs_ representation_ from the OADF."

"Well, that blows." The proverbial light went off over Avril's head. "I have an idea."

Briggs stopped and turned in front of her. "I'm all ears."

"What if we don't stay for the whole thing? Maybe we just stay for thirty minutes, and then we can go do whatever."

Briggs grinned. "I love it. Avril, have I ever told you what a great influence you are?"

"I hope that's sarcasm."

"Maybe. You know, there's actually a bright side to this whatever that's going on tonight."

"And that is?"

"It's in the same hotel I've got a room in. A room that, incidentally, we're only a block away from."

"Strictly coincidence?"

"No such thing. I didn't know until I got to the hotel early this morning."

"So have you slept at all?"

Briggs thought for a second. "I got a little sleep leaving Bana. But then some crotch-goblin started kicking the back of my seat."

"_Crotch-goblin_?"

"It's a noun. Means an evil, undisciplined child." Briggs took Avril's hand and they walked the last couple of minutes to the hotel. They were almost to the elevator when...

"Major Briggs!"

"_Son of a bitch_!" Briggs took a key from his pocket and handed it to Avril. "Room 1204. Go get comfortable. I'I'll follow in a moment."

Avril took the key, kissed Briggs on the cheek, and boarded the elevator. Briggs turned toward the voice, wearing a pained expression.

"Colonel Grimm. What can I do for you, sir?"

"Well, for starters," Grimm replied, "You can tell me why you look like I'm about to tell you that your dog died."

"Because, sir, seeing you gives me that warm, fuzzy, dread feeling. Now, what do you want? I have a very beautiful woman waiting for me upstairs and I would like to see her before I fall asleep."

"Then I'll be frank. The event that Princess Rosa is hosting tonight is very important. I expect you to be on your best behavior. No arguments and no measuring contests with the Erusean Pilots in attendance."

"_Jawhol, Herr Oberst,_" Briggs replied, taking a clear dig at Grimm's Belkan ancestry. "I would never dream of it. Now if you will excuse me."

...

Briggs stepped off the elevator and made a beeline for his room. He reached into his pocket for the key before remembering that he gave it to Avril. So, he knocked on the door and said, in his best (and absolutely worst) Erusean Accent, "Housekeeping."

There was a slight shuffling behind the door, followed by the distinct _click_ of the lock. The door swung open, and there stood Avril, surveying Briggs through squinted eyes.

"I was beginning to think you got lost."

"Never." Briggs rushed through the door and kicked it closed behind him.

Picking Avril up with ease, he kissed her in the same manner he had earlier that morning. Like his life depended on it. She returned his enthusiasm and they soon collapsed onto the bed in a heap. They broke apart only when oxygen became more than necessary, and they stared into each other's eyes momentarily before going back to their make-out session. Briggs slipped a hand up Avril's shirt and cupped one of her breasts. The moan that followed told him that he was in the right spot. Avril broke the kiss and offered Briggs her neck, which he gladly obliged her, and she breathed out, "Your hand... Lower."

Never one to disappoint, Briggs slipped his other hand into Avril's pants, flipping them over in the process. Her moans filled the room, and she soon reached a climax, screaming Briggs' name at the top of her lungs. They began to help each other out of their clothes, throwing various articles across the room.

They kissed again, and Avril whispered in Briggs' ear, "Fuck me."

Briggs slowly slid his member into Avril's wet entrance, whispering, "Fuck. You feel so good."

"Better than your hand?" Avril smirked as Briggs began thrusting. She bit her lip to try and prevent a moan, but failed miserably, especially when Briggs' mouth found her nipple and he began sucking on it. She felt another climax building, and came moments later, herwalls clenching around Briggs' member. He reached his own climax just after her, collapsing next to her.

"Definitely better than my hand," he muttered before passing out.

...

Briggs woke after what seemed like forever, feeling a warm body in bed with him. Smiling to himself, he pulled Avril closer to him, kissing her on the forehead.

"Go back to sleep," she muttered.

"Yeah, that's probably not happening," he replied, glancing at the clock on the wall. "This little power nap recharged my batteries just enough for tonight."

"Yeah, about that." Avril looked at Briggs. "I know you said it's being hosted by Cossette, so I'm guessing the dress code is rather formal."

"I think so. It's a black tie event, so all military in attendance have to be in dress uniform, which for me means Gold Wings and Dress Blues."

"Civilian?"

Briggs shrugged. "Suit and tie, or dress. Whichever floats your boat. Or whichever is easier to get you out of at the end of the night," he added with a wink and a smirk.

"I don't own any sort of, for lack of a better word, 'girly' clothes, Trigger."

"Don't worry. I took care of it."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, followed by an all-too familiar voice.

"Hey, Trigger! Put your pants on and open the door!"

**_Alright, so I cut this short to get it up. *Giggity* Anyway, sorry for the delay in updating. Pro Wrestling in my area is starting to pick up, and with my job, I kinda have to follow it closely. So go ahead and hit those "like" and "follow" buttons if you haven't already._**

**_In the meantime, I bid you adieu. Goodbye... And good night. *BANG*_**


	4. In What With Who?

All the color drained from Avril's face.

"What the hell is Count doing here?"

Briggs bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "He's going to make sure I stay out of trouble for the next couple hours, because Huxian volunteered to help you with tonight. He wasn't supposed to be here for another hour though."

Count knocked again. "This is getting embarrassing, Trigger! Open up!"

Briggs picked up a shoe from beside the bed and threw it at the door. "Give me a second, Arthur!"

Finally, after about five minutes, the door opened, and Count, on the other side, had a smart-ass grin on his face.

"Hey, buddy," he said sarcastically. "What'cha been up to?"

"Zip it, Arthur," Briggs growled. He turned to Count's companion and added, "How ya doing, Hux?"

Huxian snapped to attention and offered a salute that was waved off. "I'm well, sir," she replied.

"Cut that out, will you? The war's over."

"Right," Huxian said. "Is the Scrap Queen with you?"

Yeah, hang on." Briggs craned his neck and heard the shower running. "Give her a minute to get decent."

"Decent?" Count repeated. "You just answered the door wearing nothing but your shorts and a robe! Who do you think you are, Ric Flair?"

"Well, I have no shame, so..."

"Yeah, obviously. So can we come in, or are you gonna make us stand in the hallway?"

Briggs stepped aside and showed Count and Huxian into the room with a sarcastic bow. Closing the door behind him, he added, "Would anyone like a drink, or a joint?"

"A joint?" Huxian's brow furrowed. "This isn't Osea; you can get busted."

"If you want to get technical," Count replied. "But the Osean Military controls the city."

"Bingo," Briggs replied. I was kidding about the weed though. Some pretentious prick from Oured told me to be on my best behavior tonight."

"Sounds like Grimm," Count said.

Briggs nodded. "Yup. And there's supposed to be a lot of bigwigs there. Our President, their Princess, a bunch of Senators, brass from both sides; it's going to be a giant shit-show."

"I almost wish I was back in front of that committee at the Hexagon," Huxian said.

Briggs opened a bottle of whiskey and began pouring a generous amount into three glasses. "That committee can suck an AMRAAM."

"The most useless bureaucratic bullshit I have ever dealt with," Count growled. "Grimm has a stick up his ass because none of us could tell him what happened to his brother at the Space Elevator. Not our faults that it's fucking classified Top Secret."

"He didn't get to grilling me about his brother," Briggs said. "He danced around it until I flipped out on him. He let me leave after that."

With the drinks passed out, the three members of Strider Squadron raised a toast and drank. The clock on the wall chimed six, as Avril made her way back into the room, only wearing what seemed to be one of Briggs' shirts. The room was silent until Briggs spoke.

"Wow," he said. "Um... I'm gonna ask if you can wear _that_ to the thing tonight."

"You will not," Huxian replied, elbowing Briggs. "Now shoo, boys. Scrap Queen and I have work to do."

"So if you're kicking us out," Briggs motioned between himself and Count, "Where are we supposed to-"

"Grab your Dress Blues and follow me, buddy," Count said. "We're going two floors down."

"Very bad joke," Briggs replied, grabbing his toiletries & Dress Blues, following Count out to the elevator.

...-_-...

Almost an hour passed, and Briggs and Count, in full Dress Blues, were playing a card game until they had to leave. Count, of course, had to talk. And the topic he chose was Avril.

"So when are you gonna tell her?"

"Tell who what?" Briggs looked up from his cards, distracted.

"You know who," Count replied. "And what. When are you going to tell Avril how you feel?"

"Maybe tonight. I'll see how this shit-show goes."

"You should still tell her, regardless of how tonight goes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Briggs stood and surveyed his wingman. "When in the hell did you get so insightful?"

Count shrugged. "I don't know. Is it time for us to head down?"

"Yeah."

The two pilots made their way downstairs, drawing the occasional glare from hotel guests and employees. They shrugged off the looks and continued to the ballroom in silence. When they arrived, the first thing Briggs noticed was a band setup in the center of the stage, complete with guitars, a piano, a bass, and drums. Count, on the other hand, noticed something completely different.

"Um... Where the hell is everyone?"

Briggs shrugged. "Maybe we're just early."

"What time is this supposed to start?"

Briggs looked at his watch. "We still have about 45 minutes."

Count shook his head and turned to leave. "I'm going to the bar."

"Don't pre-game too much," Briggs told his wingman. "But while you're getting your drink on, I'll be on the stage, tinkering with one of those guitars."

Count paled. "No, boss. That is not a good idea."

Too late. Briggs was already tuning one of the guitars, and Count, laughing to himself, recognized the riff immediately. He abandoned his quest for booze and joined his wingman on stage, taking a seat at the drums and playing along.

...-_-...

_Meanwhile, in Room 1204..._

"Huxian, are you absolutely sure that I _have_ to wear these shoes?" Avril stumbled around the room, bumping into things and cursing under her breath. Huxian took a deep breath to keep from laughing and handed Avril a box.

"Try these," Huxian said, getting a good look at Avril for the first time in almost an hour. "Whoa. Trigger is going to be putty in your hands tonight."

Avril blushed. "It's not too much?"

Huxian shook her head. "The way he looks at you? Hell no. Then again, Trigger would be in love with you no matter what you were wearing."

"In _what _with _who_?" Avril looked at Huxian like she was crazy.

"You heard me," Huxian replied. "Unless you're a fool, that boy is off the market. He is one hundred percent, prime-time, in _love with you._"

Avril's face fell slightly. "Then why hasn't he said anything?"

"Most guys are pretty slow to admit things like that. You know Trigger. He can be-"

"A bit of a dumbass," Avril finished. "I know, but he's _my_ dumbass."

"Then give him time. Who knows? He could tell you tonight. Now, come on. We have to get going."

...-_-...

Back downstairs, Briggs and Count were still jamming, much to the chagrin of many of the officers and politicians that were making their way into the ballroom. Some enjoyed the music, but some were not having a good time. One even went so far as to unplug the amplifier.

"Total buzzkill, Senator Barrett," Briggs said. "No love for blink?"

"It's Bartlett," the Senator replied. "I didn't sponsor your Academy application for you to be playing blink-182 in a hotel ballroom, Kid."

"So I guess that's a 'no'?"

Bartlett nodded. "Exactly. Now both of you, get your asses down from there."

Briggs and Count placed their instruments back where they were sitting on the stage and made their way to join the party. Count elbowed Briggs in the ribs and pointed toward the door. When the former looked, his jaw dropped when he saw her. Avril was turning heads left and right, and Briggs was starting to elbow his way through the crowd to get to her.

"Excuse me... Pardon me... Move it or lose it, Captain... Watch where you're swinging your drink, Senator. This uniform ain't cheap... Come on, Airman! Move!"

He made his way through the sea of people to Avril and took in her appearance. He was speechless.

"You like?" Avril asked, somewhat timidly.

Briggs smiled, leaned in so close that only Avril could hear him, and whispered only two words. "_Fucking beautiful._"

_**And scene! Sorry for the hiatus, folks. Work and all that. If you're a returning reader, you know how I roll. Drop a review. If you're a first-time reader, drop a fave, a follow, and a review. Next chapter, things will get more interesting. I promise.**_

_**(Also, remember what I said earlier in the chapter about a band setup. It's hella important to the next couple of chapters)**_


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